Tag - oil

 
 

OIL

An annual rally to commemorate the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran on Feb. 11, 2023. Iran has retained roughly 70% of its prewar missile stockpile, according to U.S. assessments.
WORLD / Politics
May 13, 2026
U.S. intelligence shows Iran retains substantial missile capabilities
Iran has retained roughly 70% of its prewar missile stockpile, according to U.S. assessments.
A passenger aircraft operated by Deutsche Lufthansa in Frankfurt, Germany, on April 13. The airline group — Europe’s largest — said it’s scrapping 20,000 uneconomic short-haul flights in the region this summer.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 13, 2026
How a jet fuel supply crunch threatens summer flights
Faced with higher fuel costs and lower supply, airlines have axed thousands of flights, grounded less-efficient aircraft and raised airfares.
Commuters drive past an anti-U.S. billboard referring to President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz, installed on a building at the Valiasr Square in Tehran on May 10.
WORLD / Politics
May 13, 2026
Iran says U.S. must accept its peace plan or face ‘failure’
The war has spread throughout the Middle East and roiled the global economy despite the ceasefire, impacting hundreds of millions worldwide.
The first shipment of Central Asian oil arrived in Japan as the country seeks to diversify supply sources amid the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the war in Iran, according to the industry ministry.
BUSINESS
May 12, 2026
Crude oil from Azerbaijan arrives in Japan
Japan received the shipment of U.S. oil in late April and Russian oil earlier this month.
A tugboat guides the crude oil tanker Odessa, carrying UAE crude, after passing through the Strait of Hormuz this month.
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2026
Is the global financial system making the Hormuz shock worse?
The system is functioning as designed. It was built for a world of episodic shocks and orderly recoveries, not one characterized by persistent, overlapping sources of disruption.
An Iranian woman walks past an anti-Israeli mural on a street in Tehran on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
May 12, 2026
Trump says Iran ceasefire is ‘on life support’ as hopes for a deal fade
Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have forced oil ​producers to cut exports, and OPEC output dropped to the lowest in more than two decades.
Global stocks surged last week, pushing the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 to fresh records.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 11, 2026
Momentum-obsessed traders seek clues on Iran truce
Trump labeled Iran’s latest response to his proposal to end the 10-week conflict with the U.S. as unacceptable.
Dumplings at Hung Ming-he’s food stall at the Xizhou Public Market, one of the oldest traditional food markets in Taipei, on April 8.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 11, 2026
Taiwan’s plastic habit collides with shortages caused by a faraway war
Some producers have turned to the U.S., while others have sourced plastic goods from China, where many Taiwanese manufacturers have long-standing relationships.
U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, on Sunday. He swiftly dismissed Iran's response to a U.S. peace proposal in a post on social media.
WORLD / Politics
May 11, 2026
Trump rejects ‘unacceptable’ Iran response to peace plan, causing oil prices to surge
Days after the U.S. floated an offer in the hopes of reopening negotiations, Iran has released a response focused on ending the war on all fronts.
The Solaris liquefied natural gas tanker sails near the Himeji LNG terminal in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, on April 22.
JAPAN
May 10, 2026
Japan diversifying shipping routes for Middle East oil
Japan is also trying to diversify oil procurement sources, looking at the United States and Russia, as the Middle East situation remains unstable.
A member of NOPO, Iran’s counter-terrorism special force, stands guard under a billboard of Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, on April 23.
WORLD
May 10, 2026
Drone strikes ship near Qatar; South Korea reports attack on one of its vessels
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center had earlier said a bulk carrier reported being hit 23 nautical miles northeast of Doha by an “unknown projectile“.
Oil storage tanks in China. Days after the Strait of Hormuz was closed, China banned oil-product exports, squeezing Asian countries that rely on its refineries for jet fuel, gasoline and diesel.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 9, 2026
War and energy shortages boost China’s influence in Asia
The Iran war has deepened China’s influence with its fuel-starved neighbors, allowing it to deal from a position of strength.
The USS Rafael Peralta guided-missile destroyer implements a maritime blockade against the Iran-flagged crude oil tanker vessel Stream while the latter was attempting to sail toward an Iranian port on April 26.
WORLD
May 9, 2026
U.S. attack on Iran tankers sparks reprisals as deal hangs in balance
Iranian officials accused the United States of violating the ceasefire with the tanker strikes and hampering diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
Stocks traded in Tokyo hit a record high on Thursday and then held most of those gains on Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 8, 2026
Japanese stocks steady near historic highs as tech and war weigh on sentiment
The Nikkei 225 stock average retreated from the record hit Thursday, clawing back some of the loss late in the day as companies started to release earnings reports.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ryosei Akazawa (second from left) and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Iwao Horii (far left) attend a high-level economic dialogue with the European Union in Brussels on Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 8, 2026
Japan and Saudi Arabia to set up energy security task force
Discussions at the task force are slated to start early next week.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda (center) attends a monetary policy meeting with other high-ranking officials in Tokyo on April 28.
EDITORIALS
May 8, 2026
Japan pulls out the stops to halt the yen’s slide
While the yen’s dive has been abetted by speculators, the real causes of the currency’s weakness are structural.
An oil refinery in Germany on Thursday. Oil supplies are set to tighten further even if the U.S. and Iran reach a deal to end their war.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
May 8, 2026
Oil supply shock to worsen as inventories fall further even if conflict ends
The rapid depletion of commercial stockpiles and emergency reserves has come at a time when ‌stockpiles are typically ‌built in preparation for the Northern Hemisphere summer.
People share a parasol in Ginza district during high temperatures in Tokyo in 2025. El Nino is forecast to bring drier conditions and hotter weather later this year.
ENVIRONMENT
May 8, 2026
Asia heat waves spell double trouble for economies hit by oil shock
El Nino could bring higher temperatures and dry weather to countries from India to New Zealand, driving up food costs.
Sany electric heavy trucks at a depot in Tangshan, China, on April 1
BUSINESS / Markets
May 7, 2026
Iran war to accelerate China’s shift to electric trucks from diesel
Some energy consultancies ‌now expect the decline in diesel use in China to accelerate faster than previously forecast.
People chant during a rally in Tehran on May 6.
WORLD / Politics
May 7, 2026
U.S. and Iran inch towards short-term deal to end fighting
The emerging plan centers on a short-term memorandum rather than a comprehensive peace deal.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival